Coleman looks to get up to speed at Prefontaine
The 18-month suspension is behind Christian Coleman. He's set on quickly returning to where he left off: Being the world's top sprinter.
This weekend's Prefontaine Classic will be a big first step in what could be a prosperous run in Eugene, Ore., for the 100-meter world champion.
Next month, the U.S. championships will be held at the same site, Hayward Field. In July, he will defend his title during the world outdoor championships in Eugene, which will mark the first time track and field's biggest event — outside of the Olympics — will be held in the United States.
Coleman is getting up to speed after his suspension for missing three drug tests in a 12-month span kept him out of the Tokyo Games last summer. He will encounter a loaded field today that consists of familiar names (Andre De Grasse (USC), Fred Kerley, Noah Lyles, Trayvon Bromell, Kenny Bednarek), along with some relatively new faces (Erriyon Knighton). Missing, though, will be Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, who withdrew due to an ailment.
“The people in the sport know who I am and what I'm doing and what my talent level is,” Coleman said. “I've just got to go out there and just be myself. Just have fun, really. Just compete.”
Coleman never tested positive but drew a ban for breaking antidoping rules with three “whereabout failures” in a oneyear period. His last violation was months after his win at the 2019 world championships. He took the title in 9.76 seconds, which is tied with Bromell for the fastest time since 2015.
Back on the racing circuit — his suspension ended in November — the 26-year-old Coleman's rhythm has quickly returned. He finished runner-up to Jacobs in the 60 meters at the world indoor championships in March in Serbia.
Coleman will have his work cut out for him on the track at renovated Hayward Field. There's Kerley, who won Olympic silver in Tokyo, and De Grasse, the Olympic bronze winner in the 100 and champion in the 200. There's also Knighton, who at 18 is breaking Jamaican sensation Usain Bolt's under-20 marks, and Lyles, the reigning world champion at 200 meters.
Among the field for the women's 100 will be Elaine Thompson-Herah,
Gervonta Davis will defend his lightweight title tonight against Rolando Romero in a matchup of unbeatens in Brooklyn.
who defended her 100 and 200 titles at the Tokyo Games. The Jamaican standout will be facing a field that includes Sha'Carri Richardson, the American sprinter who tested positive for marijuana after winning the 100 at the Olympics trials last summer. She received a 30-day suspension that kept her out of the event in Tokyo.
Richardson competed at the Pre Classic in August and finished last in a race won by Thompson-Herah.
Forgive high school senior Colin Sahlman if he's a little bit in awe when he lines up for the Bowerman Mile. Joining him at the starting line will be Tokyo Olympics 1,500-meter gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen and reigning world champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya.
“I saw the start list and I just could not believe my eyes,” said Sahlman, the Gatorade national boys cross country runner of the year who is slated to attend Northern Arizona. “It's just a super-stacked lineup.”
Sahlman's goal is to top Alan Webb's national high school time of 3 minutes, 53.43 seconds set at the 2001 Pre meet.
“To have this opportunity to run at Prefontaine where (Webb) broke that record, it's pretty much surreal to me,” said Sahlman.
Scheffler, Stallings, Hossler lead at Colonial
This has been a good week in
North Texas for Scott Stallings, first qualifying for the U.S. Open that will be played less than an hour from where he was born and now sharing the lead at Colonial with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Beau Hossler.
Stallings shot a 6-under 64 without a bogey on a relatively calm day at Hogan's Alley. That put the Massachusetts-born and 206th-ranked player in the world at 9-under 131 along with with Dallas-area resident Scheffler and former University of Texas player Hossler, who both had bogey-free 65s.
Patrick Reed matched his opening 66 with another and was alone in fourth place at 8-under 132.
• Tournament housemates Scott McCarron and Stephen Ames each shot 5-under 66 in stormy and cold conditions at Harbor Shores to share the second-round lead in the Senior PGA Championship in Benton Harbor, Mich.
• Caroline Masson beat topseeded Minjee Lee 2 and 1 to highlight play in the LPGA Match-Play in Las Vegas to finish 3-0 in the group stage and advance to single-elimination play.
• Portuguese golfer Ricardo Gouveia shot 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Dutch Open in Cromvoirt, Netherlands.
Li Haotong of China was alone in second place after shooting a back nine of 29 — containing five birdies and an eagle — for a 63, the lowest round of the day.
Njoku, Browns agree to 4-year contract
Tight end David Njoku got the long-term commitment he wanted from the Cleveland Browns, agreeing to a fouryear contract extension, reportedly worth $56.75 million.
Bouwman captures Giro stage amid controversy
Dutchman Koen Bouwman won the penultimate mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia, and Richard Carapaz kept the pink jersey heading into the final two days.
Bouwman, who rides for Team Jumbo–Visma, edged Mauro Schmid and Alessandro Tonelli in a sprint to the line at the end of the 19th stage amid an incident on the final corner.
Schmid complained that Bouwman cut him off around the final corner, causing him to force Andrea Vendrame and Attila Valter wide when they were also vying for the stage win.
“In my opinion it was not a fair sprint, pretty clear, because my handlebars were still in front and he nearly crashed in the last corner. He just knows that he's slower in the sprint so he pushed me away,” Schmid said. “You'll see when you watch the last 100 metres, I can do nothing.
“It was not fair in my opinion. Second place is first loser, so I'm not happy with that.”